What are the 2026 income eligibility limits for Medicaid in each state by household size?
Executive summary
There is no single, complete table in the supplied reporting that lists every state’s 2026 Medicaid income eligibility limits by household size; available sources explain that most Medicaid income cutoffs are pegged to either the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) or program‑specific percentages (for example, many expansion adult limits are 138% FPL) and that state pages publish the specific dollar figures (e.g., Minnesota’s Medical Assistance guidance for July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026) [1] [2] [3]. State agencies and specialist sites show variation by program (expansion adults, children, pregnant women, long‑term care), and long‑term care rules in many states instead use the FBR or 300% of the FBR rather than FPL percentages [4] [5].
1. No single authoritative list in the provided reporting — know the categories
The materials you supplied include state web pages and private guides but not a single, consolidated 50‑state table for 2026 indexed by household size. Coverage and limits are set differently depending on the eligibility pathway: MAGI‑based expansion adults typically use FPL percentages (commonly 138% effective), children and pregnant women have separate higher thresholds, and long‑term care or institutional Medicaid commonly uses FBR‑based tests (including a 300% FBR cap in many states) [2] [3] [4].
2. Expansion adults: the 138% FPL rule is the practical benchmark
Federal guidance and many state materials treat effective expansion adult eligibility as up to about 138% of the FPL (the ACA’s 133% plus the 5% statutory income disregard), which is the most widely cited threshold for adults in states that have expanded Medicaid [2] [3]. Multiple user guides and state sites referenced in your search use that figure as the baseline to convert into dollar amounts for household sizes — but the exact dollar amounts depend on the FPL table for the year and whether the state applies any additional disregards or higher thresholds for special groups [3] [6].
3. Long‑term care and institutional Medicaid use FBR or FBR multiples
For nursing home or HCBS waiver eligibility, many states and specialists rely on the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) rather than FPL. The reporting notes that most states use up to 300% of the FBR for institutional Medicaid (which translates to $2,982/month for an individual and $5,964/month for a couple effective Jan. 1, 2026, according to the projection in the sourced analysis) while others use different percentages or caps tied to the FBR [4] [5]. That makes long‑term care income limits different and generally higher in absolute dollars than MAGI‑based limits expressed as percent of FPL.
4. State sites publish program‑ and period‑specific dollar tables — example Minnesota and Mississippi
Some state pages provide explicit dollar tables for defined periods: Minnesota’s guidance states its Medical Assistance income limits apply for coverage from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026 and that the 2026 income guidelines are available as downloadable PDFs (not included here) [1]. Mississippi’s Medicaid page shows program‑by‑program income thresholds tied to household size and applies the 5% FPL disregard when needed; it explicitly shows different percentages for infants, children and adults [7]. Those state pages are the right place to retrieve household‑size dollar figures for that state and program [1] [7].
5. Practically: how to get exact 2026 dollar limits by household size
Because the supplied sources show the underlying mechanics (FPL, FBR, program categories) but do not give one unified 50‑state household‑size table, the most reliable method is to: (A) decide which pathway you need (expansion adult, child, pregnant woman, elderly/long‑term care); (B) obtain the correct 2026 FPL or FBR figures; and (C) consult the state’s Medicaid eligibility or published income‑guideline PDF for that program and period — for example, state pages like Minnesota’s income guidelines or Mississippi’s income‑limits table [1] [7]. Private compilations exist (sample guides and law‑firm charts in the search results), but they are secondary and sometimes mix program types [8] [9].
6. Caveats, disagreements and hidden complications
State policy choices, waivers and program names vary: Arkansas’s ARHOME waiver and potential changes (including proposed work requirements or “pathway” amendments) alter rules and deadlines, so a headline percentage (like 138% FPL) may not reflect all program conditions in a state [10]. Specialist sites also diverge on whether to present monthly versus annual limits, MAGI versus non‑MAGI rules, or long‑term care rules — so secondary lists can be inconsistent [9] [8] [4]. Your answer will depend on which program and which state fiscal period you target; the state agency page is the primary source cited in these results [1] [11] [7].
Limitations: available sources do not contain a single, complete 50‑state table of 2026 Medicaid income eligibility by household size; the guidance above is based only on the documents you provided and directs you to the state pages and the FPL/FBR mechanics those sources describe [3] [4] [2].